


bring on the night

by Tobiko



Category: Glee
Genre: Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, We deserved more bonding of the girls in s4, sleepover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29482440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobiko/pseuds/Tobiko
Summary: Kitty doesn't do sleepovers anymore. She won't. She can't. And yet here she is, in front of Brittany's door, trying not to panic.
Relationships: Kitty Wilde & Marley Rose & Unique Adams & Brittany S. Pierce, Marley Rose & Kitty Wilde
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	bring on the night

Kitty stood at Brittany’s doorstep and told herself for the tenth time that she was NOT freaking out.

It was getting less and less persuasive.

She wrang the strap of her Cheerios duffel in her hands until the pattern of the cotton weave etched itself into her palms and debated the pros and cons of bailing before Brittany noticed she had been standing on her stoop for five minutes. 

Pros: She could go home and eat some ice cream and curl up in her pjs to the sounds of Marilyn Manson blasting through her iPod speakers.

Cons: It would look stupid.

Cons: They were her friends (maybe) and they’d be disappointed if she left.

She’d had  _ tons _ of sleepovers since sixth grade. Of course she had. However they had all been at _her_ house, in _her_ domain. Pseudo-friends in floral pajamas, then cheerleading outfits, watching movies and eating junk food and gossiping about things that Kitty didn’t care about. It was a performance, really, popular girl Kitty Wilde throwing her weight around granting and rescinding invites as she saw fit to a night of giggles and fluff. 

She’d never invited the same girl back more than once.

Kitty wasn’t about to risk anyone noticing the fact that she was the last to sleep every time, that she wandered out of the room to grab snacks at frequent intervals, that she would startle awake at the smallest sound.

Her last sleepover at someone else’s house had been at her ex-best friend Julie’s…

Kitty was still standing on Brittany’s stoop when the sound of feet alerted her to further arrivals. She partially turned her head to see Marley and Unique coming up the walkway with bags and sleep rolls in tow. Right. Bitch face on. “About time you losers showed,” Kitty snapped. “Do you really think I wanted to enter Brittany’s house without backup? Last time I was here her cat tried to throw up in my backpack.”

“I’ve never been here,” Unique said, casting a doubtful glance at the door. “Marley said Britt nearly poisoned her with her fondue. Is anyone else second guessing this whole thing?” 

“How long ago did you get here, Kitty?” Marley tilted her head and made her classic Disney princess face, all big eyes and pursed lips, and Kitty held in an eye roll as she turned her back and rang the doorbell.

“Okay then…” Kitty heard Marley mumble.

Brittany opened the door with a flourish. “Spice sisters!” she exclaimed, grabbing Kitty by the elbow and tugging her in. A lance of anxiety flew down Kitty’s spine before she pulled away. She was grateful that Marley and Unique weren’t far behind.

Brittany was already in her pajamas, presumably, as she was wearing a tank that said “The Snuggle Is Real” decorated further with a duo of sleeping cats and paired with some red cotton shorts that left little to the imagination. Her hair was up in two braids and she wasn’t wearing any makeup revealing more freckles than Kitty had realized. It made her sullenly resentful to see that Brittany was still gorgeous. “I’m so glad you could all make it!” Brittany bubbled. “Tina was invited too because she’s a Spice Girl, duh, but she decided it would be more important to try for that threesome with Sam and Blaine.”

“Uh…” Unique intoned, exchanging a look with Marley, but Brittany was already flouncing off down the hallway clearly intending them to follow.

Kitty took the lead in following Brittany, strategically placing herself between Britt and the other two and keeping herself right on Brittany’s heels. She entered Brittany’s room and triumphantly claimed a corner, grinning at the prime real estate she had managed to snag. Predictably Marley and Unique set themselves up side by side near Brittany’s television set. Brittany herself had scooted her bed off to the side and set up bedding on the floor in solidarity with her guests.

They called and ordered pizza from the local Dominos then spent the half hour wait playing inappropriate MASH and Two Truths and a Lie. Britt kept adding Mr. Schue to the MASH games, eliciting squeals and gags of disgust every time, accompanied by Brittany’s devilish laughter. Kitty tried to sneak in two lies when it was her turn for Two Truths and a Lie but somehow Brittany noticed and the other girls threw chips at her while Kitty laughed and yelled, “Uncle, okay, stop!”

When the pizza arrived they ate it at Brittany’s kitchen island, sitting on stools and making a mess that someone else would have to clean up. Kitty’s feet dangled inches off the ground and she elbowed Unique when Unique had the nerve to call her “so cute” after she saw Kitty’s swinging legs. Before Unique or Brittany could comment further Marley changed the subject by asking if they could do karaoke after dinner and was promptly booed at by Brittany and Kitty. Marley grinned, unphased, and tried to convince them it wasn’t practice for glee, just for fun.

So of course they ended up singing bad karaoke in front of Brittany’s living room television for the next hour, picking songs they barely knew or didn’t have the proper range for and belting out to the point of screaming. Brittany’s mom came to make sure they’d be done by 8 so that she could start putting Brittany’s little sister down for bed but otherwise they were undisturbed. Kitty’s rendition of Marilyn Manson’s Beautiful People was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back as she shrieked her way through the lyrics. Marley and Unique half buried their heads in the couch to try to cover their ears as Brittany grinned and bobbed her head along. After that they were ready to head back into Brittany’s room to start the planned Bring It On movie marathon.

There were five Bring It On movies and they ran the gambit from excellent to horrendous. The first Bring It On was still a national treasure and Kitty would fight anyone on that, but the decline in quality was a sheer cliff from the first to the second. It got worse from there. The movies were a guilty pleasure for a reason.

Marley and Unique had both seen the first movie and Unique had seen the second, but after that it would be new ground for those two. Brittany and Kitty had both seen all the Bring It Ons and Kitty had seen most of them more than once. She still couldn’t fathom how Brittany could like the last one. It was lucky for Marley and Unique that they’d probably be dead asleep by the time the fifth movie started playing.

The quiver of anticipation in Kitty’s gut grew as they settled in for the first movie, but it was early yet and when Brittany immediately started to quote the movie and even stood to do some of the moves Kitty began to relax, laughing at Brittany’s antics and piping up to quote some of the more iconic lines (“This is not a democracy, this is a CHEEROCRACY!”). Marley and Unique watched them nearly as much as they watched the movie itself, rolling on the floor with giggles. The anxiety in Kitty’s stomach eased at the sound, the thrill of being laughed with and not  _ at _ feeling like a hit of adrenaline to her system.

The energy level didn’t drop off for hours. Kitty could quote the first three movies with a slow decline of accuracy as the movies went on and the first two movies were full of babbling and mirth, an extra level of tumbles added in by Britt.

The first to drop was Marley. They lost her in the third movie. The energy was beginning to temper and around 1 AM Marley Rose fell asleep dead in the middle of their little nest. The other three girls laughed and joked about playing a prank on her for being such a buzzkill. Brittany wound up putting a post-it note on Marley’s forehead that read “Here Lies Marley Rose”, but that was all they did.

Next was Unique. She made it partway through the fourth movie before falling asleep around 2:45. By then their chatter had fallen to whispers and Brittany wasn’t tumbling around anymore.

Brittany popped in the final movie and almost instantly she was out like a light, a leg sprawled over Marley and an arm thrown over Unique as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Maybe for Brittany it was. Kitty was glad she had escaped from winding up with a limb on top of her. 

Kitty’s anxiety had been growing exponentially as each girl fell asleep. Brittany’s snores nearly sent Kitty into a tailspin.

She stayed rooted to the spot, laying on her stomach with her cheeks in her hands as she watched the rest of the Worst Movie Ever and felt the pit in her stomach grow to swallow her heart. The movie helped some, the sound keeping her awake and alert as she listened to the steady calm breathing of her sleeping companions. Britt had left a light on and it cast a yellowed glow over the room, chasing away the most prominent shadows. Small comfort. The house made creaking sounds as it settled in the night and Kitty shivered at each one.

When the movie ended and the title screen began to loop Kitty wasn’t sure what to do. Turning the tv off seemed like a bad idea and if any of the girls asked she could lie and say she fell asleep before she could hit the power button. On the other hand, hearing the title screen repeat over and over again was going to drive her  _ mental _ . If she could figure out how to turn on the regular television that would be best and after the twentieth looping she picked up the DVD and television remotes and began the process of puzzling out the buttons. She made sure to turn the volume down to the single digits so that if there was a sudden explosion or loud musical note on the television it still wouldn’t wake the girls.

Fiddling with the television was a good distraction for the three minutes it took. To Kitty’s great disappointment it was a straightforward switch over from DVD to the main cable box rather than a tricky endeavor. She surfed the channels until she found Comedy Central airing reruns of Futurama, a show she gave less than two shits about but that was colorful and unobtrusive enough that she was sure it wouldn’t accidentally trigger her fight or flight. With that done she maneuvered herself over to her corner of the room and pulled a throw blanket from her duffel, wrapping it around her shoulders and over her knees and situating herself so that she was nearly in the corner of the room.

No sleeping bag.  _ Never _ a sleeping bag.

Kitty fiddled with her phone, matching with people in other countries and night owls like herself as she played Two Pics, One Word. She had an earbud in one ear and one dangling in her lap and the resulting overlap of sounds from her music and the television kept her tired brain a perfect level of confused and mildly frustrated so that her mind couldn’t drift off into the night.

That worked for around half an hour and she was starting to relax into a groove, ready to ride it out until morning.

_ Shh, Kitty, it’s just me. _

Kitty  _ knew _ it was in her head. It still made her whole body jolt and she half-threw her phone off its perch on her knees. It clattered to Brittany’s carpeted floor with an audible thump and Kitty cast fearful eyes towards the other girls, her heartbeat rabbiting in her chest and heat flashing under her skin the length of her arms, neck, and head. Brittany’s hand twitched but nothing more. The other two girls slept peacefully on.

Kitty quickly unwrapped the blanket from around her knees and shoulders so her arms and legs were free to move around. She reached her arms out and shifted the positioning of her legs as if to test the theory before putting her blanket back in her duffel. The brief shivers she got after taking the blanket off were enough to assure her of her wakefulness and she embraced the discomfort.

But the gates were open, now, and it was only a matter of time before she had to deal with more intrusions into her mind, more  _ invasions _ , like a boy climbing into a sleeping bag and waking a girl up and-

Kitty dug her fingernails into her forearm, leaving little half moons on her skin that were deep enough to bruise. “Fucking stop it,” she muttered to herself. She was not going to get hurt, for one thing she was strategically far from the door with three other girls between it and her, thought did Unique even count, would someone stop for her or move on and-

“STOP it,” she told herself more firmly, knowing her thoughts were drifting meaner and darker as she got more upset. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck rise and a tingle of anxiety marching under her skin. Any coherent thoughts were replaced by a humming that only got louder as time went on, only cut by flashes of the worst night of her life, snapshots and soundbites each more vivid than the last.

If only she could stop her brain, freeze it in place or put a hand over its mouth and  _ “shh, Kitty, it’s just-” _

Kitty surged to her feet, disoriented by sleep deprivation and waking nightmare. She started to stumble towards Brittany’s door, determined to find her way to the bathroom and lock herself in there for the rest of the night. Uncomfortable and cold, but safe. She could lay down with her head on the bath mat and her feet on the cold tile and let the bad thoughts wash over her without having to worry about the consequences of being seen.

She was most of the way to the door, gaining lucidity with every step, when a sleepy voice called out, “Kitty?”

A bleary eyed Marley was sitting up and watching her, rubbing sleep from her eyes and wearing a look of tired befuddlement. “What’s going on?”

“Can’t a bitch go to the bathroom?” Kitty snapped. She only noticed the hitch in her voice halfway through the question and was startled to realize that her cheeks were wet with tears.  _ Oh, well that explained the question.  _ “Nothing’s going on,” she added, scrubbing her arm across her cheeks.

“You’re upset,” Marley murmured, frowning in confusion. “Why are you-”

“None of your business ‘Marls’,” Kitty seethed, teeth clenched together in a snarl. Her tears had blessedly dried up as soon as her body had registered the presence of another person and had had the presence of mind to feel shame enough to shut it down.

“Huh?” Marley wasn’t awake enough to register the hostility fully. “You’re upset,” she repeated as if she hadn’t heard what Kitty had said.

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” Kitty said, her voice rising defensively. Realizing that she didn’t want to wake the other two girls she glanced at Unique and Brittany and bit her lip. Neither stirred.

“No,” Marley said with a shake of her head. “What can I do?”

The girl was half-zombie and she was  _ still _ asking to help. What was with her?? Kitty couldn’t understand anything about Marley, not anything. Marley couldn’t possibly be real because no one was that kind or forgiving or compassionate. 

Kitty had once had a best friend named Julie who had been kind. She’d been playful and funny and energetic and when she’d smiled a dimple would dent her left cheek. Julie’s giggles had been infectious and made Kitty feel light with joy, so happy to have the best friend a person could ever want.

Julie had a brother.

Julie had looked at her with such hatred after that night. She had never giggled with Kitty again. When Kitty heard Julie’s laughter down the hallway she would run to the bathroom, afraid of getting sick, knowing the laughter could be about her and what a  _ dirty slut liar rat _ -

“Nothing,” Kitty said, ashamed of how soft and sad her voice sounded.

“Oh,” Marley frowned. She rubbed one of her eyes again and blinked. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” Kitty mumbled, looking down at her bare feet.

“Don’t run.”

Kitty looked up, narrowing her eyes in confusion. “What?”

Marley was fading fast. Kitty imagined that Marley was the type who tried to get a solid eight hours every night, the kind of person who could claim to be a morning person and mean it. “You don’t have to, you know,” Marley said, her words being cut by a yawn. “Whatever is wrong, it’s okay. We’re here for you. We’re your friends.”

Kitty’s throat constricted and she tried to swallow. She hadn’t had friends since Julie, not really. Looking back after all that had happened it was hard to believe that Julie had ever been a friend at all, which made it hard to believe in friendship in general. It made life easier, in some ways, believing the worst in people. Knowing you couldn’t trust anyone to have your back or care, knowing at the drop of a hat anyone would stab you in the back so you should get to stabbing first.

But even after everything she had done to hurt her, Marley still treated Kitty with kindness. She still held out a hand no matter how many times Kitty tried to slap it away. The glee kids all waited nearby, letting her roaring thunder run its course as the storm slowly passed. And it was passing, despite Kitty’s best efforts.

_ Why? _

“...I know,” Kitty replied. The hum in her head had faded from the screaming hum it had been back to something manageable, the usual hum of fear that thrummed through her warning to be wary.

“Good,” Marley said with a sleepy smile. “That’s real good. I want to give you a hug, but-”

With that Marley flopped back, asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Kitty rolled her eyes but she felt a small smile pull at her cheeks. She wandered back to her corner and settled her phone on her lap. After a few minutes she pulled her blanket back out.

She didn’t sleep. Marley hadn’t cured Kitty of her sleepover insomnia. The dark thoughts stayed back, nipping at her heels but not regaining their foothold. When the other girls woke Kitty was watching an episode of Degrassi on TeenNick and drinking a glass of OJ she’d smuggled from the kitchen. “About time,” Kitty grumbled. “I’ve been up ages.”

Marley didn’t make comment about the night before. Kitty wasn’t even sure she remembered until they were all sitting around the kitchen island eating pancakes and fruit and Marley nudged her with her elbow. Kitty raised an eyebrow in question and nearly froze at the look of questioning concern on Marley’s face. “You good?”

Kitty scoffed and popped a strawberry between her teeth. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Marley smiled gently and nodded. “I’m glad.”

Despite herself, Kitty smiled back.

Later when Marley and Unique collapsed into a fit of giggles at a Brittany-ism and Brittany beamed with victory at her well received comment, Kitty felt light with joy.

**Author's Note:**

> Kitty is one of my favorite Glee characters even if she is terrible to start. I vibe with her anger. Whoops.


End file.
